A Pet-Friendly Birthday Trip to Nanxun and Xitang Ancient Towns with Xiongben
Xiongben’s birthday trip included Wuzhen, and we also visited Nanxun Ancient Town and Xitang Ancient Town together. They are all ancient towns, but each one has its own personality. Every stop was interesting, memorable, and absolutely worth experiencing.
Xiongben’s birthday is on June 2. On that day, we had an appointment with a photo studio in Jiaxing to take her birthday photos. It became a very special memory for us.
In the past, most photo studios did not allow pets unless you talked to the photographer in advance. Now there are so many more pet-friendly places, and taking photos with your pet has become something meaningful and full of ceremony.
The staff at the studio talked to Xiongben, helped her find a place to rest, and took care of her while we were doing makeup. At other times, they gave her space and did not bother her. That feeling was very warm and happy, because more and more people are treating pets as family members, as part of the home. The care she received was no different from ours.
We are very grateful for this photo experience. The studio is called Haimati. If you ever come to China and want to take a set of souvenir photos to bring home, you can add the staff’s contact information when you are there. The photos are ready in five days, which is very fast. We were also very happy with the final photos. We highly recommend this place.
After taking her birthday photos, we also went to ALOKA Pipa Island in Jiaxing. There is a cafe there where you can eat near kangaroos. Of course, I still hope kangaroos can run freely on open grasslands. But since it is rare for Xiongben to see kangaroos, we decided to take her to the island.
The cafe is very spacious. After buying a ticket, you can exchange it for a coffee at the cafe, and then you can see the kangaroos up close. For safety, I still would not recommend touching them. The kangaroo we met this time was named Dazhuang. He was very cute, not afraid of people, and very friendly.
Nanxun Ancient Town
Early in the morning, we drove from our place in Wuzhen to Nanxun Ancient Town. One interesting thing is that Wuzhen belongs to Zhejiang, while Nanxun Ancient Town is already in Huzhou. The two places are still very close to each other.
When we arrived at Nanxun, it started to rain lightly. After the rain, the ancient town truly felt like the Jiangnan region in misty rain. The colors of the walls and the river became clearer and softer. In southern China, when the rain is light, you do not always need an umbrella. The fine drizzle falls gently on your body, and it can actually make you feel fresh and awake.
We arrived in Nanxun early and found a small shop to stop for morning tea. Xiongben sat on a chair and waited quietly for the tea to arrive.
The morning tea here was very interesting. It is called Three-Course Tea. Soon, three bowls were served. Each bowl had something different inside, and there is a specific order for drinking them.
The first course is sweet tea. It is made with crispy glutinous rice and sugar, then brewed with hot water. It tastes sweet, soft, and fragrant. It symbolizes sweetness first and blessings to follow, a life filled with sweetness.
The second course is salty tea. It is also called smoked bean tea. It is mainly made with smoked green beans, with dried tangerine peel, sesame seeds, and other ingredients added in. The flavor is rich and savory. It symbolizes all the different flavors of life, and days that become more meaningful as they go on.
The third course is clear tea, which is green tea. It is clean, refreshing, and has a sweet aftertaste. It symbolizes returning to simplicity, a peaceful heart, and a calm life.
Drinking these three teas in order felt very much like experiencing life itself.
This is a traditional way for local people to welcome honored guests. It is also a unique daily ritual of Jiangnan water towns. If you visit Nanxun, you should definitely try the Three-Course Tea. It is something you will remember for a long time.
There is no ticket required at the entrance of Nanxun Ancient Town. After entering, there are two ticketed spots that are worth visiting. The first is Xiaolianzhuang, and the second is Jiaye Library.
Xiaolianzhuang is the only one of Nanxun’s Five Great Mansions that has been fully preserved to this day. It was the private garden of Liu Yong, the head of the Four Elephants in the late Qing Dynasty. It was built in 1885.
Here, you can see that the main feature of the outer garden is a lotus pond covering about ten mu of land. We happened to visit in summer, and it was raining that day, which made the whole place feel even more poetic. The main feature of the inner garden is a rockery made with Taihu stones.
After walking past Tingyu Pavilion, we arrived at the Liu Family Ancestral Hall. In the main hall, there is a magnificent Nine-Dragon golden plaque with the words “Cheng Xian Mu Zu,” granted by Emperor Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty. It is delicate, grand, and very impressive. The Liu Family Ancestral Hall can be compared with the Jia Family Ancestral Hall in Dream of the Red Chamber.
Jiaye Library is the latest-built traditional private library in modern China. It had the largest collection, the largest scale, and the most complete ending among traditional private libraries.
The main entrance of the library has a style described as “Western on the outside and Chinese on the inside.” The east-facing outer side has a European style, while the west-facing inner side has a Chinese style. The library got its name from the Nine-Dragon golden plaque “Qin Ruo Jia Ye,” granted by Emperor Xuantong, Puyi.
The overall design is a garden layout that blends Chinese and Western styles. At its peak, the library held 600,000 volumes and 180,000 books, including many rare books and treasured collections from China and abroad.
By the lotus pond at Jiaye Library, there are twelve zodiac animals made from Taihu stones. They look vivid and full of life. If you visit, you can try to find them.
We also bought Qingming Shanghe Tu stamps at the post office in Nanxun Ancient Town. It is an old post office. You can write postcards or letters there and send them to someone far away whom you care about.
Xitang Ancient Town
People say Xitang is where dreams begin. Under the lanterns, the old streets carry a quiet beauty. There is the peaceful Misty Rain Corridor, the lively feeling of bridges and flowing water, the simple charm of white walls and black tiles, and the studio of lyricist Vincent Fang.
We also found the spot where Jay Chou once stood on a bridge to film a music video. Every scene looked like a painting from a dreamlike Jiangnan water town.
Yongning Bridge, the ferry crossing, and the old bridges all gave Xitang its own rhythm.
Ancient towns have so many bridges. Each bridge seems to hold its own story.
When we got tired from walking, we chose a restaurant and stopped for a meal. The seats in the restaurant looked directly out over the river and the passing boats. You could even walk down and wash your hands with the river water. It felt very relaxing. The river water here is flowing and clean. Eating by the river somehow made the food taste even better.
The most special experience in Xitang was taking Xiongben on a night boat ride.
“Night still young, lanterns glowing” feels exactly like Xitang at night. To truly experience the water-town charm of Xitang, a rowboat ride is a must.
There are two ways to take the boat. You can rent the whole boat, or you can buy individual seats. Xitang has four docks, and the routes and prices vary slightly depending on the dock.
Early evening is the best time to take the boat. Before the sky turns completely dark, you can see the red lanterns along both sides of the river slowly lighting up. The sky takes on a soft blue tone. When night fully falls, the entire ancient town becomes bright with lights.
The red lanterns reflect on the water, and the boat moves through the river. It feels like being inside a painting. Xiongben sat on the boat and looked around at the scenery. At night, everything became brighter and more charming.
The rowboat can fulfill every imagination you have about a Jiangnan water town in China. Red lanterns and blue floral boat curtains create the real feeling of Jiangnan. It is absolutely worth experiencing.
Horse-head walls, rowboats, and the Misty Rain Corridor.
Green vines climb over blue-gray bricks.
We spent Xiongben’s eighth birthday among arch bridges and water towns.
Stone paths, the walls of Xiyuan Garden, and roof tiles under the eaves.
With one line, “Spring is never late,”
I arrived in the real Jiangnan.
We look forward to meeting you here.
What made it especially cute was that after we returned home and the trip had ended, we received a postcard with the postmark from Xiongben’s birthday.
It was such a happy and heartwarming birthday trip, and we are already looking forward to our next adventure!
